Boom!
Shinjuro Rengoku was kicked flying. Even after smashing through a dragon juniper thick enough for several people to wrap their arms around, he was still hurtling backward. Though shocked, he swiftly circulated his Breathing Technique, adjusting his posture in midair before touching down.
He drove half his Nichirin Blade into the ground and kicked off with both legs. Only after carving a trench more than ten meters long as he was dragged backward did Shinjuro Rengoku finally stop himself.
Slowly rising to his feet, Shinjuro Rengoku stared at Hongyue. Feeling the intense pain along the outside of his chest, his expression turned grave.
Suddenly, Shinjuro Rengoku clutched his chest, his brows knitting as he let out a muffled groan.
Inside him, a surge of scalding blood abruptly slipped out of his control, rushing from his chest into his throat before he forcibly swallowed it back down.
A single simple counterattack had already left Shinjuro Rengoku seriously injured.
"I underestimated her strength. It has far exceeded my expectations."
Shinjuro Rengoku had never fought an Upper Moon, but he had slain Lower Moons before. Judging from the strength Hongyue had displayed, she had already far surpassed the strongest demon Shinjuro Rengoku had ever encountered.
Taking a deep breath, Shinjuro Rengoku controlled his injuries and sealed off the blood flow around the outside of his chest. The turbulent circulation within his body gradually settled.
"Who are you?! An Upper Moon?" Shinjuro Rengoku fixed Hongyue with an unwavering stare, his face full of vigilance and gravity as he asked in a low voice.
Hongyue touched her toes to the ground and gently rotated her ankle, as though warming up.
Hearing Shinjuro Rengoku's words, she could not help but chuckle. Her smile made the Wisteria Flower groves covering the mountain pale in comparison. "Upper